You are here

Incredible young Australians delve into history

An elite group of the nation’s finest young minds were honoured at the National History Challenge (NHC) awards presentation ceremony held at the Mural Hall at Parliament House on 1 December 2015.

Winners were recognised and acknowledged from a variety of unique categories, as well for different school years from primary through to senior secondary. The illustrious National Young Historian award was taken out by Canberran Ineka Voigt for her in-depth research on artist Nora Heyson. Ineka also won the ACT Young Historian award in 2014.

The Hon Luke Hartsuyker MP, Minister for Vocational Education and Skills, was on hand to present a number of awards and he spoke passionately of the high standard of entries received.

“This year’s winning entries explored the theme ‘Leadership and Legacy’ in a wide variety of historical contexts in both Australia and overseas,” Minister Hartsukyer said.

“Entries covered a spectrum from the discipline of family history, the Eureka Stockade, World War II (Kokoda Trail), modern Singapore, the contribution of Indigenous leaders such as Lowitja O’Donoghue and Charles Perkins, political leaders including Robert Menzies and Herbert Vere Evatt.”

First set up in 1995 through the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and the History Teachers’ Association of Australia (HTAA), the National History Challenge is an annual contest that encourages students in both primary and secondary schools to utilise research and inquiry-based learning to discover more about the past. The Challenge provides an excellent opportunity for students to experience the role of historians and what it involves.

History research is now more comprehensive than ever before due to the raft of technological advancements available to students, giving them an excellent opportunity to explore Australia’s past.

See the full winner’s list below.

Category

Name

Title

School

National Young Historian

Ineka Voigt

The Palette of Nora Heysen

Canberra High School

Year Level 11 -12

Sacha Pulsford

Lowitja O'Donoghue

Shenton College

Year Level 10

Ineka Voigt

The Palette of Nora Heysen

Canberra High School

Year Level 9

Anna Foley

The leaders may have changed but the legacy of Magna Carta has continued